Freelton Strabane United Church
To live our discipleship with integrity and grace.
Horseshoe Falls Regional Council
Second Sunday of Pentecost
Sunday, June 11 2023
Minister: Rev. Will Wheeler, B.A. M. Div. 905-659-3380 E-mail: wwwheeler@sympatico.ca
Music Director Joan Simpson
Announcements
All invited to take part in our "Looking ahead" meeting on June 13th 7p at the Church as we look to the what we see happening in the Church after our summer break. Bring your ideas and let's look to future.
Prayer Shawl Thursday June 15th 7pm. This will be the Last Prayer Shawl for the season
It has been a monumental Year for our church and we now will be moving into our summer schedule.
beginning the First Sunday in July (July 2) we will move to worship at 9:30am through to Labour Day
We will be having regular worship during the month of July but will take a Summer break when the church will be closed for Sunday 6th ,13th and 20th. We worship will begin again on August 27th at 9:30am
Rev Will will be on Vacation from July 10th to August 21st. He will be available for only dire cases of emergency.
We are so grateful for all of the hard work that everyone has gifted the church and pray that everyone has a restful and enjoyable summer.
Gathering
Three things I promise Holy God,
In age and youth, in life and death:
To bless your Name and cling to Christ
And listen for the Spirit’s breath.
Call To worship
One Meeting an old friend in the Grocery store.
All Surprise.
One Finding money in your winter coat.
All Surprise.
One God is full of Surprises.
All We are called to be open to the unexpected, the surprises that the Spirit may have for us.
One may we be open to the unexpected, the new, the different that God presents to us.
Prayer of Approach
All God of Wonder, God of Surprises, God of the new, God of the unexpected be with us know and send your spirit to play amongst us so that we may be reminded to always be open to your leading. Empower us to trust in you on this journey of faith and to marvel at the wonders you set before us, to have courage to overcome the challenges and a willingness to celebrate the day you give us. In Christ we pray Amen
One: Let us lift up our voices in Psalm our psalm is Psalm 50
All: (sung) In God we live and move and have our story.
In love God lives in us and makes us whole
O Jesus may we hear the Word that calls us near;
Your story makes a home within our soul.
Your story makes a home within our soul
One: would you like to hear more of our Story?
All: Yes for in the story our faith is strengthen.
One: Then our story continues in Romans 4:13-25
One This is the word of the Lord
All Thanks be to God
One: In the word we find the inspiration of the Spirit Here the goodness of the Good News as our Journey begins in Matthew 9:9-13,18-26
One: The Word of God for the People of God
All Thanks be to God
Prayer
Lord as we ponder your words open our hearts that we may understand and know you. Amen
Sermon
I saw this posting from a colleague this week. Normally I just scroll past these but this one caught my eye. I read it, then came back to it. Read it again. I had a flash of Historical Church History and the Apologetics. They were people that wrote letters commenting on the myths and rumours about what Christianity was. Suddenly I felt like one of them and had the need to comment. The statements were made is by a person named Jim Palmer a former theologian turned critic. It is a piece questions God, and more so the Church. He starts off by stating.
“ It seems odd to believe in a "God" who condemns people to eternal conscious torment for not believing the correct theology, which is based upon the interpretation of ancient writings that predate modern science. “
I thought on this. It is true I am not a Biblical Scholar and I would say that I am an ok Theologian. My gifts are elsewhere beyond the academic
It is true that there are several occasions when Jesus speaks of being condemned to Sheol or to the outer darkness where there is great gnashing of teeth. This was not due to any theology but more with a failure to action. One could argue that Jesus did not have a theology, but a call to better way of being in relationship. Not sure about what difference it makes that it predates modern science.
Speaking of which his next point.
“It seems odd to believe in a "Gospel" that claims the human species was afflicted with a genetic sinful condition, which originated and was passed down from a literal Adam and Eve who were the primordial parents of all human beings... resulting in separation from God... which could only be rectified by the human sacrifice of a middle eastern spiritual revolutionary named Jesus.”
First off for me, I don’t believe in original sin. The opening stories of the bible, the bible legends. Well for me that is what they are stories. They are a means for people to understand their world. Let’s remember there was a time that it was believed that disease was brought on by demons and evil spirits. Our separation from God is not based upon an idea of original sin but on those moments when we fail in living in that right relationship with God, our fellow humans, ourselves and the planet. Christ giving of himself on the cross is an ultimate act of love and reconciliation. Jesus as a spiritual revolutionary. Might have something there.
Next “It seems odd to believe that a woman was directly impregnated by God in order to give birth to a sinless human being who would qualify for the perfect human sacrifice to complete God's salvation plan for humankind.”
This hinges on do you or do you not believe in the idea of the Immaculate conception. We are Protestants. So not our belief. Could it have happened maybe. One of the great truths that will be revealed in time. Was Jesus sinless and perfect. Again a belief. Was Jesus fully divine or fully human with divine powers. The root of the great schism of the church that created the Eastern and Western Church. I would argue that Jesus was fully divine, but human in nature. Ergo open to all of what it is to be human.
The next one I will give him.
It seems odd to believe that men are divinely anointed with special qualities, skills and wisdom that women do not have, which allows men to hold positions of leadership and authority in the church, but not women.
It seems odd to believe that the Bible, which is an assortment of chosen ancient writings that have been edited several times and approved by church councils out of political expedience, should be considered the infallible, binding, and only truth from God to humankind.
He right the Bible is an assortment of ancient writings, it has been edited, translated more than once through several different languages from ancient to modern. What made it what didn’t make it was decided in councils which at time got pretty heated. Yes it is true that some denominations take it as the infallible , binding and only truth. That is not me. Modern biblical scholars own that at least for three of the Gospels the writers did have their own theology and to a certain extent an agenda. They are sacred writings, which become a vehicle of faith and a means to encounter the love and wisdom of God. They are a source of comfort but also challenge and they are our story.
Is it Odd to believe these things? Well…no. At the root of both stories in Gospel today they speak of faith. Faith is that which gives us the means to believe in that which cannot be defined by rationalistic thought. The Disciples follow Jesus from a deep knowing a feeling, a faith. The women acts beyond all rational thought and reaches out solely on faith. We spoke of this last week the The western church has over the centuries has liked a rationalistic approach to explain God. The thinking, realist. As compared to the Eastern Church which has “recognized that it can only say so much about God in finite, human ways before it must go silent before the mystery of the infinite and unspeakable.” It is through the artist, poet, and musician that we come to understand God on a deeper heart felt level. To enter the mystery and the silence. To experience the sacred
When we slow ourselves, center ourselves to listen and see into the silence we allow the heart and the soul to connect with the Divine.
Do all things that Palmer said that are “odd” odd. Not when you allow yourself to enter into the mystery of the faith. Not to explain it, but to see it as an act of faith.
I do not believe that we are to just blindly follow. We are called to question, to wonder, to ponder. That is how we encounter God and see God in our lives. The good news is that when you have faith, the odd is not so odd, the wonder is just that more wondrous. The possibilities that more infinite. For God in the odd and wondrous we encounter the divine and we are reminded that we are not alone.
Prayers of the people
Slow me Down Slow me Down
Still my restless mind Still my restless mind
Quell my fears Quell my Fears
Quench my Thirsty soul Quench my thirsty Soul
Fill me with your love Fill me with your love
God of Truth God of Truth
God of love God of love
Dear God you said through your Son, Blessed are those the revile and Hate you. We ask for wisdom to listen to those that would challenge the faith for in the Challenge we see that our can be strengthened and deepened. We are thankful for those moments that we are called to bonder and own what we believe. For in those moments we are encountering the wondrous and the divine. And still there are moments that remain a mystery. We cannot understand why the world unfolds the way the world unfolds. We find comfort in prayer. We prayer for your world and all that burdens it. We pray for your people and all that they are afflicted with. We pray for those who we know and pray for your presence in the lives that need to know that you are with them. We ask for courage to walk with those we have felt called to walk with. We name them before you. We pray that your Holy Spirit rest upon them as we pray that it may rest upon us. May we good rejoice in your wondrous world as we offer you our own prayers in the silence of our hearts. We trust and know that in your time and way they shall be answered. We offer you the great prayer which binds us as one. Saying. Our Father…
Offering
We give thee but thy own. The work of the Church continues and there are three ways you can continue to support that work. Consider using PAR, use the donate button on our Web Site or drop your gift at the Manse. Let us make our offering and give thanks.
One: Praise God who from all Blessing flow
Prayer Your grace, O God, is a gift that nothing can match. The greatest offering we can make is to live according to your will. Grant wings to these gifts, that they may soar to do your bidding. Bring a melody to our lips, that our days may be songs of praise. In Christ’s service Amen
Commissioning and Blessing
One Surprise.
All That was unexpected
One Surprise,
All that was new
One Surprise
All the Spirit is full of Surprises
One May you go in to the world ready to be surprised by the spirit, greeting in the name of Christ and proclaiming the love of God.
Yesterdaywe honour our heritage.
Todaywe know that we are not alone,that we live in God's world.
Tomorrowwith God,we will discoverthe undiscovered country.
Upcoming Events
All invited to take part in our "Looking ahead" meeting on June 13th 7p at the Church as we look to the what we see happening in the Church after our summer break. Bring your ideas and let's look to future.
Prayer Shawl Thursday June 15th 7pm. This will be the Last Prayer Shawl for the season
It has been a monumental Year for our church and we now will be moving into our summer schedule.
beginning the First Sunday in July (July 2) we will move to worship at 9:30am through to Labour Day
We will be having regular worship during the month of July but will take a Summer break when the church will be closed for Sunday 6th ,13th and 20th. We worship will begin again on August 27th at 9:30am
Rev Will will be on Vacation from July 10th to August 21st. He will be available for only dire cases of emergency.
We are so grateful for all of the hard work that everyone has gifted the church and pray that everyone has a restful and enjoyable summer.
